Basketball miracles

Chapter 40 [When they are exhausted and we are at our peak, we can defeat them]

Laimbeer was furious. He never expected to be proven wrong so quickly, especially by a rookie.

As a floor-oriented center, his attempt to turn the paint into a no-fly zone was an impossible task; he just liked to talk big. Even if he was angry, he couldn't immediately rush up and punch Xiao Tu; he could only wait for a foul opportunity.

He felt he'd met his match today; this guy was good at aggressive fouls, and Xiao Tu could do the same. Would someone who dared to provoke at the start of an away game be polite to his opponent after suffering a loss?
The Pistons' offense relied heavily on pick-and-roll plays by Isaiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer, which the Lakers found difficult to defend.

If you think Laimbeer is just a monster who makes people not want to go for a layup just by standing under the basket, you're sorely mistaken. He has excellent screen setting, a reliable mid-range jumper, and his future shooting range extends to beyond the three-point line.

He also facilitates passing and, thanks to these skills, he was selected to the Eastern Conference All-Star team four times in his career.

Magic Johnson's height and slow speed around screens, coupled with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's poor ability to switch on guards, are weaknesses for the Lakers. Thomas drove to the basket, drawing Xiao Tu's help defense, and then passed the ball to an open player on the left, where Laundfeld scored off the glass. 2-2.

Thomas is known as the "Smiling Assassin" and is one of the best players in the NBA at driving to the basket.

The Lakers were on offense. Johnson ran a pick-and-roll and went to the right side. This time, Thomas got around the screen and chased down to defend. The two have a good relationship; despite the size difference, Thomas enjoys guarding Johnson.

Johnson calmly protected the ball and, seizing the opportunity, passed it to James Worthy, who was making a run along the right baseline.

Both of the Pistons' big men were marking their own men. Worthy received the ball and, with a height advantage over the 198cm Tripka, forced his way to the basket and scored. 4-2.

Xiao Tu, positioned at the high post, had a clear view of the entire attack and was certain that Laimbeer was nothing special on the defensive end. His turnaround time was too slow; Worthy had already released the shot on the right when Xiao Tu had just started moving on the left, making it impossible for him to reach the target from a meter away.

Laimbeer's defense relies mainly on intimidating opponents with fouls, but he also needs to control his foul count to avoid getting into foul trouble. Today, his targets are Johnson and Shaw, not Worthy.

The Pistons were on offense. Johnson went around the screen from the inside and blocked Thomas, who passed the ball to John Long. John Long drove to the basket, changed direction to get past Scott, and his layup on the left side was blocked by Xiao Tu, who was helping on defense.

John Long never expected Xiao Tu to cover so quickly; that's talent. No matter how good someone's defensive awareness is, someone with poor physical attributes can't possibly sweep across such a wide area like Xiao Tu.

Johnson retrieved the ball and launched a fast break, using his size advantage to force his way past Thomas, drawing help defense before passing to Scott, who easily scored a layup. 6-2.

The Pistons were on offense, and Thomas used his speed to get past Johnson. This time, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was on help defense under the basket. Thomas passed the ball to the right baseline, where Laimbeer scored an open mid-range jumper. 6-4.

Both star point guards performed exceptionally well, delivering consecutive assists.

Johnson is currently averaging 15.2 assists per game, but the assist title remains undecided. Thomas also averages 14 assists per game and scores 21.5 points per game, surpassing Johnson.

The Lakers were on offense. Xiao Tu pulled out to the three-point line, and Johnson broke through but couldn't pass to Worthy, who used his height advantage to lob the ball to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the left low post.

This combination play was simple and effective. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dribbled twice with his back to the basket, then turned and hooked the ball down the middle for a score. 8-4.

Xiao Tu has learned from watching Kareem Abdul-Jabbar play. As long as his turning speed is fast enough, whether he turns towards the baseline or towards the middle, he can easily enter the penalty area.

However, Riley did not assign him any one-on-one tasks, believing that his low-post back-to-the-basket shooting percentage was not high enough.

After several passes, the Pistons players failed to break through. Tripka's pull-up jump shot missed under Worthy's interference, and Xiao Tu grabbed the defensive rebound.

In their half-court offense, the Lakers repeated their previous offensive strategy. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dribbled two steps to the left and passed the ball to Xiao Tu, who was cutting inside. Xiao Tu received the ball and drove to the basket, drawing a foul from Laundfeld.

Laimbeer looked somewhat helpless as he watched Xiao Tu drive to the basket. If his teammate hadn't fouled, he probably would have dunked again. Laimbeer was closely guarding Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and his slow turn prevented him from providing timely help defense.

Xiao Tu didn't waste the easy opportunity, making both free throws with ease. 10-4.

Riley led the applause from the sidelines. He often used Xiao Tu as an example in the team to encourage players to practice free throws.

Pistons fans cheered enthusiastically for their home team, encouraging both offense and defense. They looked a little anxious; the Lakers' offense was too strong and they couldn't defend it at all.

After a few more possessions, the Pistons could only score through their perimeter players. Like many teams, their interior players were effectively shut down, unable to get the ball near the basket for shots.

Xiao Tu repeatedly pushed past Laundfeld to drive to the basket, proving to be the most aggressive player on both teams. He forced his way to a layup and then, after drawing Laimbeer's help defense, completed an inside pass that assisted Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for an easy layup.

At 6 minutes and 19 seconds, Xiao Tu grabbed an offensive rebound and drove to the basket, drawing Laundfeld's second personal foul.

Xiao Tu made both free throws, forcing the Pistons to make a substitution, sending in 208cm blue-collar center Kent Benson.

Coach Chuck Daly was wary of Xiao Tu and didn't dare to field his usual backup power forward. Earl Clayton was a softie, 206cm tall and 95kg, and afraid of physical contact; he definitely wouldn't be able to defend him.

After the substitution, the Lakers had a greater advantage in the paint. Benson's physical strength was decent, but his mobility was poor, and he was playing slowly at only 30 years old.

On the offensive end, Benson has no shooting range, so Xiao Tu doesn't need to mark him too closely when defending him and can drop back to the vicinity of the penalty area to cover at any time.

Teams that don't shoot three-pointers will inevitably have low scoring efficiency if they score few points in the paint. The Pistons only have Thomas shooting threes, and his 25% three-point percentage this season is a career low.

The Lakers also had the advantage in rebounding.

Riley fielded a lineup of big men; aside from Scott, all four starters were over 205cm. The Pistons only had Laimbeer over 205cm, and his jumping ability wasn't great.

The Lakers led 38-24 in the first quarter, with all their points coming from two-point shots and a very high shooting percentage.

In the final possession of the first quarter, Xiao Tu faked a shot at the high post, quickly started his change of direction to get past Benson, and then drove to the right side at a 45-degree angle for a jump shot off the backboard.

He can occasionally attack with the ball facing the basket, and his first step is particularly quick. If he can't break through on the first step, he passes the ball, making his playing style simple and effective.

Xiao Tu scored 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 block in a single quarter, heading towards a double-double.

In the second quarter, the Pistons caused some trouble for the Lakers, quickly closing the gap. The Pistons' strength lies in their numerous scoring options; this season, they have an average of seven players scoring in double figures, a feat unmatched in the league.

With Lakers missing Mike McGee and Bob McAdu, the bench lacked scoring options in the second quarter, leaving only Michael Cooper to lead the team.

Kurt Rambis and Kupchak's offense was terrible; they were only there to hold the team up for a short while so the starters could rest.

In his second season with the Bullets, Kupchak averaged 15.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. The Lakers signed him to a high-salary contract in 1981, and this season his salary is a whopping $115 million.

库普切克加盟湖人首个赛季14.3分8.1篮板，投篮命中率57.3%。可惜的是他只打了26场比赛就重伤报销，1982-83赛季再次报销一场没打，复出后就不行了。

The Lakers' starting lineup returned, and Magic Johnson orchestrated the offense to stabilize the situation. At halftime, the Lakers still led by 5 points.

第三节贾巴尔得到12分，肖途也砍下5分3助攻1盖帽，将分差拉大到18分。

Xiao Tu made a three-pointer, and the defender retreated far back, making it an open shot.

All three of his assists went to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who received the ball after a screen and cut inside, drawing Laimbeer's help defense before passing it to him.

Laimbeer wanted to give Xiao Tu a tough time and prove his toughness. But Xiao Tu switched to using his skills, driving to the basket without jumping and passing the ball to Laimbeer instead.

This is a passing secret Johnson taught him: pass the ball when you're close to the defender, so the opponent doesn't have time to react and the chance of a turnover is very small. This is especially effective against interior players because big men generally have slow turning speed and can't go back to guard their own man after helping on defense.

Xiao Tu's passing ability has been improving. Although he can't get double-digit assists in a single game, he is already qualified as an inside player.

Lambiel hadn't found an opportunity to strike, hoping Xiao Tu would jump up; otherwise, a single blow wouldn't hurt. Xiao Tu, however, deliberately didn't jump, wary of Lambiel's malicious intent.

One should strike with full force at the first attempt, but the momentum will wane at the second and be exhausted at the third. When they are exhausted and we are at our peak, we can defeat them.

(End of this chapter)